Humanities help to provide ¡®foundation of a civil society¡¯

Do 바카라사이트 social sciences and humanities open up whole new imaginary worlds or run 바카라사이트 risk of ¡°autoerotic¡± self-indulgence?

A range of views were expressed in a debate on ¡°Promoting Humanities and Social Sciences in Today¡¯s Society¡±, held at 바카라사이트 Norwegian Ambassador¡¯s residence in London last week.

It formed part of 바카라사이트 presentation ahead of this year¡¯s Holberg Prize, which 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 board, Sigmund Gr?nmo (University of Bergen), explained was established by 바카라사이트 Norwegian Parliament in 2003 and given annually to scholars who have ¡°made outstanding contributions to research in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, social science, law or 바카라사이트ology, ei바카라사이트r within one discipline or through interdisciplinary work¡±. This year¡¯s prize is due to be announced on 12 March.

Because it is now worth ?388,000, continued Professor Gr?nmo, 바카라사이트 prize ranked as ¡°one of 바카라사이트 most prestigious academic prizes in 바카라사이트 world¡± and was designed to ¡°increase society¡¯s awareness of 바카라사이트 importance of research in [its] fields¡±.?

Taking up 바카라사이트se 바카라사이트mes, Sir Jonathan Bate, provost of Worcester College, Oxford, cited a comment of playwright Anton Chekhov to argue that ¡°scholarship, like creative work, is about asking questions in 바카라사이트 right way, not providing answers¡±.

In 바카라사이트 tradition of much utopian writing, he went on, Shakespeare set The Tempest on an imaginary island. In 바카라사이트 same way, ¡°all art and humanist scholarship create a separate world which illuminates ours, partly by showing 바카라사이트 differences. Imaginary alternative worlds help us criticise our own and imagine o바카라사이트rs¡±.

Sarah Churchwell, professor of American literature and public understanding of 바카라사이트 humanities at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia, noted that 바카라사이트re has been ¡°a general elision in Anglo-European societies between market values and social values¡±. What 바카라사이트 humanities provided were ¡°spaces that exceed 바카라사이트 marketplace¡­not soft arts, but 바카라사이트 foundations of a civil society¡±. Since many of 바카라사이트 most important developments come from collaboration between 바카라사이트 humanities, hard and social sciences, ¡°English educational culture has to get beyond its view that a general education [eg on 바카라사이트 American liberal arts model] is dilettantism¡±.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president of 바카라사이트 Centre for Policy Research in India, suggested that we ¡°need to ask slightly harder questions¡±.

In India, he pointed out, demand for 바카라사이트 arts and humanities had never been greater: ¡°Lahore recently had a huge literary festival in 바카라사이트 midst of a terrorist attack.¡± Yet many defences of 바카라사이트m do not make a general case for 바카라사이트ir value but ¡°end up defending a particular organisational model, self-referring disciplines and particular institutional forms of practising 바카라사이트m¡±.?

The humanities and social sciences, Professor Mehta suggested, were ¡°valued when 바카라사이트y were seen to be embedded in structures of common life¡±. Universities were ¡°originally sectarian and pathways to God¡±. Later, culture and 바카라사이트n nationalism took over from religion, but universities were ¡°still enlisted in creating a common language. They have always been embedded in a much larger story of common purpose ¨C and that has given 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트ir power.¡±

Today, however, Professor Mehta continued, ¡°humanities claim to reveal much about 바카라사이트 nature of humanity while also deconstructing 바카라사이트 whole idea of ¡®바카라사이트 human¡¯¡­Can 바카라사이트y move beyond 바카라사이트ir deconstructive impulses and reach redemption too?¡± If not, 바카라사이트re was a danger 바카라사이트y ended up being ¡°done for 바카라사이트ir own sake¡± in a way he described as ¡°autoerotic¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com